A variety of components are included in integrated circuits that affect the rate at which power is consumed. For example, delay lock loops are often found in memory devices to perform such functions as synchronizing one signal, such as a data strobe signal DQS, to another signal, such as an external clock signal. The DQS signal can then be used to latch data at a time that is synchronized with the external clock signal.
A typical prior art DLL 10 is shown in FIG. 1. The DLL 10 includes a delay line 14, which typically uses a large number of gates and/or inverters that are coupled to each other in series. At least some of the gates and/or inverters in the delay line 14 switch at each transition of a reference clock signal CLKREF that is applied to the input of the delay line 14. Each time the gates and/or inverters switch, they consume power. The DLL 10 also includes a phase detector 16 and control circuitry 18 coupled to the output of the phase detector 16 for adjusting the delay of the delay line 14. The phase detector 16 compares the phase of the reference clock signal CLKREF to the phase of an output clock signal CLKOUT generated by delay line 14 to determine a phase error. The CLKOUT signal is thus used as a feedback clock signal, although other signals derived from the CLKOUT signal may instead be used as the feedback clock signal. If the phase detector 16 is a digital phase detector, it typically generates an UP signal if the phase of the CLKOUT signal leads the phase of the CLKREF signal by more than a first value. The control circuitry 18 responds to the UP signal by increasing the delay of the delay line 14 to reduce the phase error. Similarly, the phase detector 16 generates a DN signal if the phase of the CLKOUT signal lags the phase of the CLKREF signal by more than a second value. In that case, the control circuitry 18 responds to the DN signal by decreasing the delay of the delay line 14 to reduce the phase error. The phase detector 16 generates neither an UP signal or a DN signal if the magnitude of the phase error is between the first value and the second value. The first and second values thus establish a hysteresis for the DLL 10.
The amount of hysteresis provided by the phase detector 16 has several effects on the operating performance of the DLL 10. Reducing the hysteresis results in a “tighter” loop that causes the phase of the CLKOUT signal to more closely follow the phase of the CLKREF signal. On the other hand, increasing the hysteresis allows the phase of the CLKOUT signal to drift farther from the phase of the CLKREF signal. However, the power consumed by the DLL 10 is also affected by the hysteresis since power is consumed each time the phase detector 16 generates an UP or DN signal and the control circuitry 18 and delay line 14 respond accordingly. Thus, a smaller hysteresis generally results in more frequent delay line adjustments because the permissible phase error tolerance is correspondingly smaller. Thus, the power consumed by the DLL 10 can be reduced by increasing the size of the hysteresis provided by the phase detector 16. Also, a smaller hysteresis makes the DLL 10 more susceptible to noise since noise imparted to the CLKREF signal and/or the CLKOUT signal can momentarily increase the difference in phase between the CLKREF and the CLKOUT signals beyond the phase error tolerance.
Another operating parameter of the DLL 10 that can effect power consumption is the tracking speed of the DLL 10, i.e., how frequently the phase detector 16 compares the phase of the reference clock signal CLKREF to the phase of an output clock signal CLKOUT. A high tracking speed in which the phase detector 16 compares the phase of the reference clock signal CLKREF to the phase of an output clock signal CLKOUT every cycle of the reference clock signal CLKREF causes a relatively high power consumption since power is consumed each time the phase comparison is made and the control circuitry 18 and delay line 14 respond to a phase error. However, a longer interval between phase comparisons resulting in a relatively slow tracking speed may allow a phase error to drift well outside the error tolerance set by the hysteresis.
The size of the hysteresis provided by a phase detector as well as the tracking speed and other operating parameters of DLLs are determined by the design of the DLLs. Designers of DLLs normally select circuit components to provide a specific set of performance parameters. However, these performance parameters may not be optimum for a specific application in which a DLL is used. For example, as mentioned above, a DLL may be used in an integrated circuit memory device. One purchaser of the memory device may install it in a laptop computer or other portable device. For this application, a large hysteresis and/or a slow tracking speed providing low power consumption may be more important than the accuracy at which the phase of a clock signal generated by the DLL corresponds to the phase of a reference clock signal. Another purchaser of the memory device may install it in a high-speed desktop computer where the memory device operates at a very high clock speed. For this application, the ability of the memory device to correctly latch data may depend on a DQS signal generated by the DLL closely tracking the phase of a reference clock signal. As a result, a small hysteresis and a high tracking speed may be desired. Unfortunately, the operating parameters of conventional DLLs used in memory devices and other integrated circuits cannot be easily adjusted by users or other circuits, thus potentially resulting in performance limitations in electronic devices containing such integrated circuits.
Although the problem of operating parameter adjustment inflexibility has been discussed in the context of DLLs, the problem also exists in other types of locked loops, such as phase lock loops.
There is therefore a need for a locked loop and method in which the operating parameters can be easily adjusted for optimal performance in different applications.